Set up by Swiss businessman Walter Denz, along with a business partner who is now longer actively with the company, the language schools in St Petersburg and Moscow teach at least 2,000 students per year; predominantly those from EU countries, as well as Japan and Turkey.

Those celebrating the milestone included many education agencies which have sent students to the award-winning school. Claudio Cesarano, MD of Globostudy in Switzerland, was one. He said it was a “fantastic event mixed with fun, business, networking, drinking and partying – just as a perfectly organised event should be!”

Other attendees were fellow international educators including many members of independent school association, IALC, which Denz presided over recently. Current President, Alexandra Borges de Sousa, of CIAL Lisbon, said, “Everything was just perfect.”

Guest speakers included Dr. Peter Fischer, economical editor of Swiss newspaper, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and Mark Winkler, CEO of Media Touristik, a major player in the Swiss education agency field.

Fischer reflected on his own experience learning Russian with Liden & Denz and how much this has helped him during his years as Russian correspondent for the newspaper. Winkler, one of Liden & Denz’s very first agents, enchanted the audience with charming anecdotes going back many years.

“If you survive 20 years in Russia, you have done something right”

The school’s first ever student Heidi Gstöhl from Liechtenstein reminisced with the audience on how much Russia has changed since her language studies with the company 20 years ago.

Denz commented, “Celebrating anniversaries is something very Russian. Operating 20 years of Liden & Denz in Russia is quite an achievement, given the many obstacles and difficulties you face in this part of the world. This is also the reason why we invited selected agents to celebrate with us! If you survive 20 years in Russia, you have done something right.”

The evening culminated in a stunning and stirring performance by the official Army Choir of Russia’s North-West Military District.